


Partners

by nottinghamroad



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Charles is a sweetheart, Erik is a huge flirt, Fluff, M/M, Really fluffy Ok, They dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 08:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2144235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottinghamroad/pseuds/nottinghamroad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik and Charles have the studio to themselves, and they dance together. Lots of sexual tension and fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners

Erik tripped over his own feet for the third time that hour and swore. Charles stifled a high-pitched giggle. Readjusting his dancing stance, Erik extended his arms again and Charles fit himself in. Perfectly, as always, Erik noted. Charles slipped a hand into Erik’s back pocket, found the remote to the stereo, and turned on the music. The pair made their way through the basic step of the Charleston, something Charles had painstakingly been teaching Erik over the past week. The music picked up its tempo and Charles put Erik through his paces, encouraging him verbally every time he successfully danced a basic combination.

“Darling, you’re doing brilliantly!” Charles huffed out as they danced right through the end of one song and into the next. Erik grew enthusiastic on Charles’ praise. He tried a kick with an especially large amount of flourish, and fell flat on his back, dragging Charles with him. Charles adjusted his position from haphazardly laying on top of Erik to straddling him and patting his cheek anxiously to make sure he was alright. After the initial shock of having the wind knocked out of him, Erik dissolved into giggles. Relieved, Charles held Erik’s face in both of his hands and kissed his forehead. He swung his left leg across his partner’s body so he was sitting beside him, and proffered an arm. Erik took it and tugged himself up to a sitting position. He wiped a bead of perspiration from his brow.

“You must admit, we are a bit ridiculous,” Erik said, the last word being swallowed up in another bout of laughter.

“You and I dancing a timeless dance where one of us needs to be in a flapper skirt and the other in a Charlie Chaplin outfit? Nah, nothing ridiculous about that.” Charles kept a straight face for as long as he could. 

“Right, I meant to ask you that, which of us is to wear the flapper skirt?” Erik turned to face Charles, who grinned mischievously.

“Well, I have been teaching you what is traditionally the woman’s step all this time.” Charles spoke nonchalantly. Erik pursed his lips. 

“As I recall, you do find me smashing in blue and sequins.” Charles went white at that.

“You weren’t supposed to know I did that-” he began, but was silenced with Erik’s finger over his lips. Erik looked very pleased with himself.

“You talk in your sleep,” he said simply. “Usually it’s nothing too exciting, mentions of the students, Raven,” he paused, “and me,” he added as an afterthought. Charles blushed. Erik trailed his finger down Charles’ strong jawline, enjoying the feel of the hairs there pricking up. Not quite ready for such an intimate moment in a public place, Charles leapt to his feet and extended both of his hands to Erik, who took them and sprang upwards with a heave from his partner. Charles seemed to be distracted as they spent several moments just standing in the center of the studio floor, holding hands. Seizing the opportunity, Erik drew Charles close to him and molded him into a tango position.

“Argentine?” Charles asked.

“Of course,” Erik replied.

“But I’ve-” Erik silenced Charles’ objection by launching into the 8-step, leaving Charles no choice but to follow. They carried on for several minutes without music, Erik slowly increasing the complexity of his steps as Charles demonstrated he was ready to follow. Once he felt Charles was ready, he spun the shorter man into several turns that drew him closer and closer into Erik, leaving them very little room to execute their dance steps accurately, never mind the issue of personal space. 

Erik brought the dance to a climax by lifting Charles across his body and deftly spinning in several circles before lowering him back to his feet, foreheads touching the entire time. They stayed in that final position for several minutes, breathing hard and relishing the closeness.

“Charles!” An irate voice broke the silence. “I have a class in here in ten minutes! Take your boyfriend out of here before I kick the two of you out!” Charles smiled, slipped his hand into Erik’s, and led him out of the studio.

“You’re a gem, Tony. Thanks for letting us in,” Charles called over his shoulder. He broke his grip on Erik’s hand and decided to slide that hand around his waist instead. Erik reciprocated, and they walked arm-in-arm down the street back to their flat. The day was quiet and sunny. A couple of bluebirds twittered merrily in a tree above them. Erik spotted a bench and led Charles to it. Grateful for a moment to sit and watch the world go by, Charles sat next to Erik and laid his head down on the taller man’s shoulder. Erik laid his head on top of Charles’, breathing in the fresh, piney scent of his hair.

“You know, you really are a beautiful dancer, Erik,” Charles remarked softly. Erik made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat. 

“Not with the Charleston, I’m not. I’ll be damned if I ever get those kicks and jazz hands right!” He laid a hand on Charles’ thigh and proceeded to massage the area around his kneecap gently. Charles picked his head up suddenly, bumping Erik’s temple a bit.

“No, I mean it,” he said earnestly, searching in Erik’s grey-green eyes for some affirmation that Erik believed him. “The way you move is positively lyrical, you’re better than poetry in motion. You’ve just only ever learnt sultry, slow dances is all.” Erik saw the earnestness in Charles’ piercing blue eyes and patted his cheek rather clumsily. 

“Well, I couldn’t imagine a better partner than you now, could I?” he lowered Charles’ head back onto his shoulder.

 

“In dancing and in life,” Charles added, intertwining his fingers with Erik’s once more.


End file.
